Eric Ward’s name is nowhere to be found in the statistical summary from the TCU game.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Texas Tech senior wide receiver didn’t play a big role for the Red Raider offense in a 20-10 win that put his team into the Top 25.

“Eric Ward’s a guy who, I did a bad job of getting him the ball that week, and he played his butt off blocking every play,” Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday. “The effort was there; he didn’t get frustrated. He’s a team player.”

That’s a theme for Tech receivers, who know there’s more to their role than catching passes. On two of the Red Raiders’ biggest plays Thursday, receivers threw blocks that sprang running backs for long gains.

Just over a minute into the game, freshman quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a screen pass to junior running back Kenny Williams, who ran 50 yards for the touchdown.

Wide receiver Bradley Marquez and tight end Jace Amaro opened a running lane for Williams down the sideline.

In the fourth quarter, receivers were doing the dirty work again. Marquez stayed on a TCU cornerback long enough to let running back DeAndre Washington sprint on by, turning a short pass from Mayfield into a 48-yard gain.

In fact, Tech receivers were blocking downfield all game long.

“It’s been through the roof every week,” Kingsbury said of his receivers’ blocking. “Coach (Sonny) Cumbie and coach (Eric) Morris, that’s an emphasis. If you don’t block, you don’t play. Those guys take pride in it. Marquez shows up on both those big home-run hitters to the running backs and he’s out there leading the way. (It’s) selfless play, and that’s how you build a great team.”

This selfless attitude has played a prominent role in Texas Tech’s early success.

In fact, it’s a theme preached by the coaches that will reap benefits as the season goes on.

“I’m really happy with those guys,” said Cumbie, who coaches the outside receivers. “It’s the ultimate sign of being selfless. Something we talk about is a cause greater than ourselves.

“Eric Ward didn’t catch a pass (Thursday) night, but you couldn’t tell by his effort. If you watched the film, for four full quarters he was getting after it — and Bradley Marquez the same. They do it in practice. It’s no coincidence they do it on Saturday nights because of the toughness they bring in practice.”

For Marquez, playing selfless football is nothing new.

With his background as a running back at Odessa High, he understands what is needed to turn a 2-yard gain into a 20-yard gain.

“A lot of success from the running back’s standpoint comes from blocking on the perimeter,” Marquez said. “A lot of the success I had in high school came from the receivers blocking down the field. Once I transitioned to receiver when I got here, it was just something that I knew was really important that I needed to do. Obviously the coaches are coaching it up every day at practice — finishing plays and making blocks.”

With the score tied at 10 and the clock at 3:48 left it the fourth quarter, Webb threw a fade route 19 yards to Marquez in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

When asked to pick his favorite play between his blocks and his touchdown, the answer was easy for him.

“Blocking,” Marquez said. “I pride myself on that. For those running backs, it’s good to get them out in open space. I enjoyed helping my other teammates be successful.”

This group of wide receivers so far has been heralded as one of the best in the Big 12 with its talent and depth.

Among the four starters, Ward, Marquez, Amaro and Jakeem Grant have 61 receptions in the first three games for 805 yards. A chunk of that yardage has come from looking out for each other’s best interest.

“There are a bunch of wide receivers that made a bunch of plays here, but they work for each other,” Kingsbury said. “Coach Cumbie and coach Morris do a great job of instilling that in them. So I thought all night on the perimeter, they blocked their hearts out.”

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